Being promoted to the Premier League is the easiest part of the journey for some clubs. Staying there is the hardest, as Leeds United could find out next season.
The gap in quality between the Premier League and Championship continues to grow every year. Top clubs get more money to buy talent and make their squads better, newly promoted sides just do not have the funds to compete. Unless they establish themselves for a few seasons to benefit from TV revenue and prize money.
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Daniel Farke will have to find a way to bridge the gap during the summer. Leeds United’s squad was good enough in the Championship, but it may not be enough in the Premier League.
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Leeds United sent warning
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Farke is set to have a huge role in recruitment this summer. He played a big part in some of the signings this season, including the arrivals of Ao Tanaka and Manor Solomon. The duo played a big part in Leeds’ season, with Tanaka winning the Players’ Player of the Year award.
The Whites will certainly be busy in the transfer market this summer as they look to build a good squad for the Premier League. Former Manchester United star Lee Sharpe has told Daniel Farke to focus on recruitment and getting a big squad for next season:
“Your first objective as a newly promoted team is to stay up. There’s a lot of teams in the Premier League that are well positioned and are established teams, with good squads and are used to the game load.” (quotes via Leeds Live)
“Leeds need to recruit wisely and rotate the starting eleven more this time around. Two years ago, they didn’t rotate the team enough, which meant they would tire in the last 15 or 20 minutes of games. As long as they get the basics right, they’ll give themselves a good chance.”
Sharpe is right about the squad size
The former Premier League player has a point about squad depth. Leeds have looked like they needed fresh legs for a large part of this season. Daniel Farke had a squad of 29 players who were named in matchday squads, and 14 of them made 20 or more starts. 10 of these players made more than 30 starts, showing that the Leeds boss used a small number of players when he had the chance.
With the intensity and strength of opposition in the Premier League, he will need to rely on more players. And that is what this summer transfer window is for.
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